


Your gay is showing (don't hide it now)

by Gilrael



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coming Out, Family, M/M, Role Models, Second Year Yamaguchi Tadashi, Shimada is Yamaguchi's uncle in this one, everything else is the same, minor TsukiYachi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 20:51:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16605236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gilrael/pseuds/Gilrael
Summary: From: Takinoue Yuusuke> I accidentally ran into Yamaguchi-kun this morning> I told him that I was too drunk to go home alone last night. I'm not sure he bought it, but he was also still half-asleep so maybe he doesn't even remember> Anyway, there's breakfast in the kitchen> Unless Yamaguchi-kun ate it all...~~~Makoto is in the process of looking for a flat so he can move in with his boyfriend when his nephew Tadashi suddenly asks him if he can stay with him. While Makoto tries to hide his boyfriend from Tadashi, Tadashi has a huge crush on a certain setter...





	Your gay is showing (don't hide it now)

**Author's Note:**

> As you guys might have seen in the tags, this is an AU in which Shimada is the younger brother of Yamaguchi's mum, aka his uncle. It's set at the end of Yamaguchi's first year/the beginning of his second year at Karasuno. 
> 
> Thanks to Nana for the beta help, and thanks to Hil for helping me with the title. You guys are the best <3

**I.**

 

“I am being transferred to the branch office in Osaka.”

It felt like a rug was pulled out from under Tadashi's feet, his stomach lurching uncomfortably.

“So we have to move?” he asked. His fingers clenched into fists beneath the kitchen table.

“It won't be until the start of the next school year,” his father tried to reassure him, completely missing the point of Tadashi's objection.

“What about my club?” he asked, his voice cracking with panic. “I can't leave Karasuno!”

His parents looked at him with pity in their eyes.

“We can't just leave you here, Tadashi,” his mother said softly. “You're not even eighteen yet.”

“I... I could stay with grandma and grandpa?” He was grasping at straws. He knew that his grandparents wouldn't be able to take him in. The house was already full with his aunt's family living under the same roof as Tadashi's grandparents.

But he couldn't leave. He really couldn't. He finally had a chance to play a bigger role in the volleyball club, now that he was going to be in his second year. Who was to say that the school he'd transfer to in Osaka would even have a volleyball club? What if they did, but he didn't fit in with the rest of the team? The Karasuno volleyball club had become his second family, his home away from home.

“Tadashi,” his father said sternly, “volleyball isn't the most important thing in life. You should be more worried about your education...”

“The only subject I'm bad at is English,” Tadashi defended himself. “And if I stay at Karasuno, Yachi-san will continue to tutor me.”

Tadashi's father heaved a big sigh and shook his head.

“We'll talk about this again after your end of year exams.”

 

***

 

“The kitchen was really small, though,” Yuusuke said, pursing his lips.

“Neither of us has a lot of time to cook, anyway,” Makoto argued. “I'd rather make it so we have two separate rooms, so we can at least keep up the appearance that we're just flatmates.”

“You're probably right.” Yuusuke sighed and leant back on the couch, casually slinging his arm over Makoto's shoulder. “It'll be suspicious enough that we're moving in together at all.”

Makoto nodded, sinking into the comfort of his boyfriend's embrace. After eight years of sneaking around and trying to find time to meet up outside of volleyball practice with the neighbourhood team, Makoto felt like it was high time to just move in together, and luckily Yuusuke had agreed.

They'd been thinking about it more seriously ever since Makoto's oldest sister had had to move back in with their parents after giving birth to twins, forcing Makoto to find a flat of his own. Everything had been so sudden, however, that Makoto and Yuusuke hadn't managed to coordinate their efforts. Now the both of them lived in separate flats that both weren't ideal for cohabitation. Makoto's was big enough for two people, but the walls were paper thin, which had made for uncomfortable conversations with neighbours before (luckily they hadn't noticed that his nightly companion hadn't been a woman), and Yuusuke lived in a tiny studio that barely fit himself, let alone another grown man. At least it was sound-proofed, though.

“Well, there's still that flat we'll be looking at tomorrow,” Yuusuke mused. “It's not like we'll have to decide now.”

Makoto nodded and pressed a kiss to Yuusuke's temple.

 

***

 

Tadashi couldn't concentrate. Yachi-san's notes were colour-coded and pleasing to look at as usual, but for some reason, the colours seemed to melt together in front of Tadashi's eyes, and the longer he looked at them, the worse it got.

“Yamaguchi, could you stop that,” Kageyama said, frowning.

“Could I stop what?” Tadashi asked, confused. He'd just been looking at the notes in front of him.

“The thing you do with your pencil,” Kageyama explained, demonstrating how Tadashi had apparently been tapping his pencil against his notebook. “It's distracting.”

“Oh, sorry. I didn't notice...” Tadashi sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

“Should we maybe take a break?” Yachi-san suggested. “We've been at this for an hour already.”

“Yes, please!” Hinata exclaimed, throwing his pencil aside with a little too much enthusiasm and making it bounce off of Tsukki's notebook, where it left a mark. Disapprovingly, Tsukki clicked his tongue and erased it.

“I'll go get us some drinks from the vending machine,” Tadashi offered.

“I want pocari!” Hinata announced.

“Thank you, Yamaguchi-kun,” Yachi-san said, smiling kindly. “Iced tea for me, please”

“Milk,” was all Kageyama had to say, unsurprisingly.

“I'll come with you,” Tsukki offered.

As the two of them walked down the hallway towards the vending machines, Tadashi's thoughts drifted towards how he wouldn't be able to have study sessions like this anymore. He'd miss his friends so much if he had to move. Especially Tsukki and, as much as he loathed to admit it, Kageyama. He'd never thought it would come this far, especially with how Kageyama had behaved at first, but now Tadashi couldn't deny that the heart palpitations he got around him weren't just him thinking his obstinate teammate was hot.

“You still hung up on having to move?” Tsukki asked, ripping Tadashi from his musings.

“It sucks. I don't want to leave, but it's not like I can stay with my grandparents. I asked. They really don't have space.”

“What about your uncle? Didn't Shimada-san have his own flat?”

Tadashi stopped in his tracks, eyes going wide.

“Tsukki, you are a genius!”

Tadashi's best friend looked over his shoulder and smirked. “I know.”

 

***

 

It was a slow day at _Shimada Mart_. Makoto spent most of his time restocking and reorganising the shelves, occasionally ringing up a purchase, but he never had to rush to do anything. He even had the time to chat with the regular customers, commenting on Suzuki-san's new haircut and asking Tashiro-san how his father was doing. It was nothing special, and the day wouldn't have stuck out in Makoto's memory at all if it hadn't been for his nephew entering the shop five minutes before closing time.

Tadashi looked nervous, even more nervous than when he was swapped in as a pinch server during volleyball matches.

“Hello, Tadashi,” Makoto greeted him. “Everything okay? You don't look so good.”

Tadashi came to stand in front of the cash register, twisting the strap of his messenger bag between his fingers.

“Erm, I need to ask you a favour, Oji-san,” Tadashi said, voice quiet but determined. “You probably heard about my dad's transfer, right?”

Makoto nodded. The youngest of his older sisters had informed him about her husband's promotion almost immediately.

“Well, I can't... I mean, I don't want to move,” Tadashi said. With every word, his desperation became more and more apparent. “I don't want to quit volleyball, and I don't want to let down the club. And all my friends are here... I haven't talked to my parents about this, and I know it's probably really inconvenient for you, but would you let me stay with you for my last two years of high school?”

Tadashi finished his plea with a bow.

Makoto blinked rapidly in surprise. He'd known how much the volleyball club had meant to his nephew, otherwise, Tadashi would've never even dared to ask Makoto for help with his serves. Tadashi had always been rather timid, but the volleyball club had boosted his confidence a lot. 

“I'll help with chores! And I could even make breakfast now and then!” Tadashi exclaimed when Makoto didn't respond immediately.

“I... I can't promise you anything yet,” Makoto finally said. “You should talk to your parents about this first. I might be family as well, but they are your legal guardians.”

Tadashi deflated visibly, shoulders slumping and lips forming into a pout.

“I'm not saying no,” Makoto immediately tacked on. “Just... We can't make this decision hastily. Okay?”

“Okay.” Tadashi sighed. “I'll talk to Mum and Dad.”

“You do that. Tell them to call me tomorrow. I won't have time to talk tonight.”

Mostly, he wouldn't have time because he somehow had to tell his boyfriend that their plans of moving in together might not work out for another two years.

 

***

 

“Tadashi...” His mother sighed and shook her head. “You'll just bother him. Makoto hasn't had a relationship in years, and you staying with him is not going to help him find a wife any sooner.”

“But he didn't say no!” Tadashi insisted. He knew that he was behaving rather petulantly, but he honestly didn't care anymore. “And if he thinks it's not gonna be an issue, then I don't see why it would be!”

“We'll talk to him,” Tadashi's father said. “But I don't think this is going to turn out in your favour.”

But at least there now was a chance at all.

 

***

 

“So it's either he moves in with you, or he has to change schools,” Yuusuke summarised, staring into the depths of his coffee mug. “I mean... We could just look for a flat that has three bedrooms instead?”

Makoto shook his head.

“He'd figure us out,” he said, grabbing Yuusuke's hand that was lying on the table. “We both know that coming out is not gonna end well.”

“You're right.” Yuusuke softly brushed his thumb over the back of Makoto's hand, his expression contemplative. “I'd probably be as desperate to find a way to stay here if I was in his situation.”

“Moving all the way across the country isn't going to be good for Tadashi,” Makoto said. “I know the kid. He and Tsukishima-kun are basically attached at the hip. And you've seen how much he improved over the last year. Ripping him away from his team now just seems cruel.”

Yuusuke sighed deeply and leant forward so he could lift Makoto's hand to his lips.

“I was looking forward to moving in with you, but honestly... This is more important.”

“You won't be mad at me?” Makoto asked although he knew the answer already. Yuusuke was unable to hold a grudge for more than five seconds.

“Why would I be? It's not like he'll have to stay with you forever. We've lived apart for all eight years we've been together. Two more are not going to make a lot of difference at this point.”

Makoto got up and walked around his kitchen table so he could properly kiss his boyfriend.

“Thanks for putting up with me and this stupid situation,” he said softly.

Yuusuke smiled up at him. “Maybe we can take the time to save up for a proper house instead.”

 

***

 

Tadashi was on the edge of his seat, watching his mother intently as she talked to her little brother on the phone.

“You know you don't have to go along with all of Tadashi's stupid whims, right?” she huffed. Tadashi couldn't hear his uncles response, but it made his mother chuckle.

“Sometimes I wonder if it was a good idea to let you babysit. You infected him with this entire volleyball stupidity,” she complained, a fond smile softening the harsh words. “But if this is really fine with you, it's not like I have any reason to object to having him stay with you.”

“Yes!” Tadashi jumped up from the sofa, throwing his fists into the air in triumph. His mother rolled her eyes at him.

“Makoto, you've got to make sure that he studies properly, though,” she insisted. “Volleyball should never get in the way of Tadashi's education.”

“Can I talk to Oji-san real quick?” Tadashi asked, ignoring his mother's remarks. She sighed and handed over the phone.

“Oji-san? Thank you so much! I'll make sure that you won't regret this decision.”

On the other end of the line, Tadashi's uncle chuckled.

“It's fine. You have quite the promising volleyball career ahead of you. We can't jeopardise that, can we?”

 

***

 

“Do you want to keep these, or can I throw them out?” Yuusuke asked, holding up a stack of old manga magazines. He was helping Makoto with clearing out the second bedroom that Makoto had been using as a bit of a storeroom until now.

“You can toss them. Unless there are any in there that you're interested in?”

“I already put those aside,” Yuusuke said, pointing at a separate stack.

It was surprising just how much junk Makoto had accumulated in the span of a couple months of living alone. He wasn't necessarily attached to most of it, but he barely ever found the time to look through his belongings. He was busy enough with slowly taking over more and more responsibility for the family business and the neighbourhood association. Add on top of that the desire to see his boyfriend at least every other day to spend quality time together and you had a very busy man who only took as much care of his flat as was absolutely necessary.

“When's the boy going to move in again?” Yuusuke asked as he tied up the stack of magazines for recycling.

“My sister and her husband will move on Friday, so he'll come here on Thursday to make things easier,” Makoto explained, frowning down at a half-deflated volleyball and trying to remember where he kept his air pump.

“So basically you are saying that you have only four days of freedom left.”

Makoto nodded and put the volleyball aside for later. “We should make good use of them,” he said. “You wanna stay over until then?”

“You sure you can keep quiet?”

Makoto didn't miss the teasing glint in his boyfriend's eyes.

“You just gotta keep my mouth busy.”

“Hmm, I like a challenge.”

 

**II.**

 

Beads of sweat rolling down a sharp jawline, glossy black hair sticking to a forehead, a tongue licking over cracked lips...

“Earth to Yamaguchi.” A large palm moved through Tadashi's field of vision, momentarily obstructing his view of Kageyama.

Tadashi quickly moved his gaze towards Tsukki's smirking face.

“Your gay is showing,” Tsukki whispered teasingly.

“I'm not gay,” Tadashi mumbled in response, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“I know. You're bi. But still.” Tsukki sighed. “Don't get distracted, or Captain will have your hide.”

Tadashi grumbled and went to pick up a volleyball so he could continue practising his serves before Ennoshita-senpai and/or Coach Ukai caught him slacking off. It wasn't like he'd been spacing out on purpose, but now that he'd moved in with his uncle, the relief of being able to stay at Karasuno was overwhelming. He could continue playing volleyball with his friends – and with his crush who was only getting more attractive as time went on.

Tadashi had witnessed Kageyama's transformation from a selfish dictator to an accomplished team player. He knew how much Kageyama had come to care for this club. At this point, Tadashi would even consider Kageyama to be his friend. They never did anything without their other friends joining them, but Kageyama almost always joined the other first years when they would study together or grab a bite to eat after practice. They knew each other's favourite foods, and sometimes Kageyama would even talk to Tadashi about things that were not school or volleyball related. Kageyama was still helplessly awkward when it came to social interaction, but Tadashi found that more endearing than annoying at this point.

“Is everything alright, Yamaguchi-kun?” Yachi-san asked, making Tadashi jump in surprise. “Your accuracy is a little off today.”

“Nah, I'm okay!” Tadashi insisted. “I'm just a little distracted, is all.”

 

***

 

The air in the izakaya was thick with smoke, the atmosphere laid-back and comfortable on a Friday night. And yet, Makoto couldn't calm down. Yuusuke had surreptitiously placed his hand on Makoto's knee below the table, hidden away from any curious eyes. Evenings out with the team were always nice, and Makoto loved spending time with his friends and teammates, but at the moment Makoto craved a little more privacy. He enjoyed the physical contact, but touch-starved as he was, it simply wasn't enough.

And so, Makoto heaved a sigh of relief as he and Yuusuke stepped out of the izakaya together. He pulled out his phone to look at the time. It was a little before midnight.

“You wanna come over?” Makoto asked. “Tadashi has practice tomorrow, so he's probably already in bed. And if he isn't, we can at least watch some TV together or something...”

“I'm not going to say no to that. I have to leave early tomorrow, though. I swapped some shifts with Shinji-kun...”

“As long as you leave before Tadashi gets up.”

Yuusuke laughed and shook his head. “I feel like we're teenagers again. But instead of trying to avoid our parents, we're avoiding your nephew.”

Makoto would never blame Tadashi for it, he loved the kid too much for that, but it was kinda exhausting. Makoto felt bad when he spent the night at Yuusuke's place too often, not wanting Tadashi to come home to an empty house, but having Yuusuke come over all the time wasn't really an option either. For now, all Makoto could hope for was that time would help him settle into some kind of routine that allowed him to balance work, friends, family and his boyfriend again.

“Yeah. Let's get going, then.”

 

***

 

Usually, Tadashi never woke before his alarm went off. On this particular morning, however, he heard a weird crashing sound coming from the kitchen, accompanied by curses that sounded like they couldn't possibly come from his uncle's mouth. He quickly jumped up from his futon and opened the door, concerned that maybe they were being robbed.

But there was no robber, just Takinoue-san.

“Oh, hey, Yamaguchi-kun,” he said, picking up the pan he'd dropped on the floor. “Sorry about waking you up.”

It took Tadashi's brain a little bit to catch up on what exactly it was he was seeing since he'd only just woken up, but the entire scene in front of him was way weird. Takinoue-san was making breakfast in Makoto-ji-san's kitchen, wearing nothing but boxer shorts.

“Er, it's fine,” Tadashi said and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them again, Takinoue-san was still half-naked and still preparing to fry eggs and toast in someone else's kitchen.

“I thought I'd make breakfast for Makoto and you. As, er, compensation for him letting me crash here last night,” he said when Tadashi continued to stare at him. “I was probably a little too drunk to get home on my own.”

Something about that explanation sounded way off, but Tadashi wasn't going to ask questions. It wasn't really any of his business what Makoto-ji-san and his friends got up to.

“What time is it anyway?” Tadashi asked.

“Almost six.”

“I'm going back to bed, then,” Tadashi decided, since there still was an hour left before he had to get up. Even if he didn't fall asleep again, at least he'd be able to daydream about a certain grumpy setter.

 

***

 

Groggily, Makoto groped around on the floor next to his futon, trying to find his phone, which had woken him with message notifications. When he found it and tried to look at it, he quickly realised that he should also be looking for his glasses. He finally found them sitting on the window sill. Yuusuke had probably put them there when he'd got out of bed so he wouldn't accidentally step on them again.

 

From: Takinoue Yuusuke

> I accidentally ran into Yamaguchi-kun this morning

> I told him that I was too drunk to go home alone last night. I'm not sure he bought it, but he was also still half-asleep so maybe he doesn't even remember

> Anyway, there's breakfast in the kitchen

> Unless Yamaguchi-kun ate it all...

 

Makoto sighed and rested his forehead against the cool glass of the window. He should probably tell his nephew what was going on. There was no way he could keep his relationship with Yuusuke secret for two whole years. But Makoto also really didn't want to have to deal with Tadashi being uncomfortable about living under the same roof as his very gay uncle. It would break Makoto's heart.

 

***

 

“If you come in for the Quick, you should take full advantage of your height,” Kageyama said, his tone of voice as stern as always. “Jump as high as you can, I can figure out the toss.”

“Okay, I'll try again!” Tadashi exclaimed, motioning for Kinoshita-senpai to serve the ball again.

Sometimes Tadashi was jealous of what Hinata and Kageyama had. Even now that he was finally practising quick attacks with Kageyama, he knew that he could never reproduce the insane speed and jumps Hinata pulled off. Also, Tadashi would've never been able to trust Kageyama so blindly as to jump with his eyes closed.

But it still felt fantastic to have Kageyama toss for him. The knowledge that Kageyama was currently giving Tadashi his undivided attention as they figured out attack strategies together was exhilarating. And so he pushed off the ground as hard as he could, propelling himself into the air, eyes always on the ball, which flew through the air in an almost perfect arc. Tadashi spiked it over the net as hard as he could, making it land on the court with a smack.

“I think you can go a little higher with the toss,” Tadashi said, turning to Kageyama. The setter nodded.

“Again.”

 

***

 

Slowly but surely, Makoto was getting used to living with his nephew. He still wasn't a fan of having to keep secrets, but at least Tadashi was diligent about his chores, which meant that the flat was usually in a much better state than it ever was before he'd moved in. It was probably that sports club mentality. Makoto remembered what it was like, but nowadays he just lacked that typical teenage enthusiasm. That didn't mean that he'd lost touch with his inner child completely, though.

“Ha! I got first place again!” He threw his arms up in the air, careful not to let go of the controller. “I win the tournament.”

Next to him, Tadashi pouted.

“Damnit. I want a rematch!” he demanded, already clicking his way through the Mario Kart menu again. Makoto was tempted to give in, but a look at the clock made him sigh and shake his head.

“Maybe another time,” he said. “I've got to open the shop tomorrow.”

“Aw.” Tadashi sighed but didn't complain. “Being an adult must suck.”

Makoto snorted. “It does sometimes. It has its perks, though. No curfew. Nobody can tell you what to do with your free time. No homework.”

“Oh shit, that reminds me...” Tadashi jumped off of the couch. “Please don't tell my mum that I forgot to do homework until late at night.”

“Why would I?” Makoto rolled his eyes. “Been there, done that. Just make sure it doesn't happen too often.”

“Damn, you're way cooler than my parents.”

Something about that statement warmed Makoto to the core, but he wasn't going to let it show.

“Not much of an accomplishment, since I'm ten years younger than them. But off you go. Do your homework.”

 

***

 

“Either I'm imagining things, or our precious King has been staring at you a lot recently,” Tsukki said matter-of-factly.

“What?”

“He's doing it right now.”

Tadashi's head immediately whipped up from where he'd been focused on tying his shoes to look around the gym. And just as Tsukki had said, Kageyama was staring at Tadashi from across the room. When he noticed that Tadashi had noticed, he quickly lowered his gaze and stalked off to the storage room.

Tadashi blinked in confusion.

“What?” he repeated and turned to look at Tsukki. “Why?”

“How would I know?” Tsukki shrugged and put down his water bottle. “But he's been doing it ever since you two started strategising together.”

“He's probably just thinking about volleyball...” Tadashi mumbled, not wanting to get his hopes up.

“Might be. But...” Tsukki started but then suddenly he went stiff as a board and shut his mouth.

“Leave the chit-chat for after practice,” Ennoshita-senpai said sternly. “Unless you two wanna do a couple extra flying falls?”

Tadashi quickly jumped up off the ground.

“We're on it!”

 

***

 

“Have you met Honda-san's daughter before? A lovely young lady. She recently finished vocational school and is now working at a beauty salon in the town centre...”

Makoto tried his hardest to keep his customer service smile on his face as Suzuki-san prattled on about all the single woman she knew who lived in town.

“I'm not currently looking for a girlfriend, Suzuki-san,” he said through his teeth.

“Who's saying anything about girlfriends, Makoto-kun?” The elderly lady laughed. “These girls are wife material! When I was your age, my husband and I already had our second kid!”

Makoto was very aware that a lot of people were getting married in their mid-twenties. He'd been attending the wedding ceremonies of his high school classmates on a regular basis. If there had been a town in their prefecture that offered marriage certificates for same-gender couples, he would've asked Yuusuke to marry him a while ago.

But it wasn't like he could say that to Suzuki-san. Luckily, other customers were approaching the register.

“Excuse me, Suzuki-san, but I have to get back to work,” Makoto said hastily. “Tell your husband I said hi.”

“Of course. Goodbye, Makoto-kun!”

“Have a nice day!”

Heaving a sigh of relief, Makoto turned to his next customer only to realise that it was his nephew and some of his teammates.

“Oh, hey, Tadashi, fancy seeing you here.”

“Hey... We just wanted to get some snacks for when we do homework at Yachi-san's,” Tadashi explained as Tsukishima-kun, Kageyama-kun and Hinata-kun piled an assortment of crisps and sweets onto the counter.

“Oh, let me give you guys the employee discount then,” Makoto offered as he started ringing up the items.

“You really don't have to–” Tadashi started but Makoto waved his hands to stop him.

“Don't worry. Just promise me that you guys will actually pass your exams. Ukai will get an ulcer if there's another situation like last year...”

 

***

 

Tadashi could practically feel Kageyama's eyes burning a hole into the side of his head as they sat around the kitchen table of the Yachi family. But whenever he would look up, Kageyama would quickly lower his gaze and return his focus to the homework in front of him, cheeks glowing pink.

“Yamaguchi, could you have a look at this for a second?” Tsukki asked, pushing his notebook across the table. Tadashi picked it up, curious about what his friend wanted help with and not expecting a message.

_I think he has a thing for you. Like, a serious thing._

It was too good to be true. Tadashi's crushes never worked out. Most of the girls he was into were way more interested in Tsukki than him, as evidenced by the fact that Yachi-san was currently going out with Tsukki and not Tadashi, and the few guys he'd had crushes on would eventually say something highly homophobic before Tadashi could even think about making a move on them.

_How can you be so sure? But also, can we please talk about this some other time when he's not sitting directly next to me?_

“I think it should work something like this,” Tadashi said as he gave Tsukki his notebook back.

 

***

 

“Suzuki-san has been bothering me and Ukai, as well.” Yuusuke shook his head. He'd come to pick up Makoto after work so they could go on a dinner date. “At least Ukai is not in a relationship at the moment. As far as I know.”

“Hm...” Makoto had some suspicions about Ukai and a certain teacher, but he was not going to voice those until he had some kind of confirmation. “We _should_ probably tell our families at some point, shouldn't we?”

Yuusuke pulled a grimace and looked over his shoulder before turning a corner.

“I mean... Chances are that they'll find out about us eventually,” Makoto went on when his boyfriend didn't respond, “and I'd rather tell them on our own terms.”

“I know that that would be the sensible thing to do,” Yuusuke said, slowing down and looking for a parking spot near the restaurant. “But I really don't feel like explaining to my dad that the successor of his shop will not produce a successor of his own. You at least have a bunch of nieces and nephews already.”

Makoto sighed and fiddled with his safety belt as Yuusuke parked the car on the side of the road. He knew exactly where Yuusuke was coming from. As much as he wanted to believe in his own family's love for him, there was the distinct possibility that they would react badly, and dealing with that would be emotionally taxing.

“But you're right,” Yuusuke said as they left the car. “We need to tell them eventually. At the very latest when we finally get the chance to move in together.”

 

***

 

Tadashi was currently regretting that he offered to wait at the bus stop with Tsukki. He regretted even more that he'd asked for Tsukki's reasoning behind thinking that Tadashi's crush on Kageyama wasn't utterly hopeless.

“Kageyama follows you around like a lost puppy,” Tsukki insisted, arms crossed in front of his chest. “I've never seen _him_ of all people look so desperate for attention from another person.”

“Don't get my hopes up,” Tadashi grumbled, kicking a pebble off the pavement. “I thought I had a chance with Yachi-san, too, and then she confessed to you and not me...”

Well, _that_ came out wrong.

“You know that this is not a competition, right?” Tsukki pursed his lips.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that,” Tadashi said. “I'm really happy for you and Yachi-san. You guys are good together, and I'm not jealous of you. Or well, I am, but not because you 'took Yachi-san away from me' or some bullshit like that. What I'm trying to say is that my love life has been a complete disaster, and I wish things would go my way for once like they did for you, but they never do.”

“That's exactly why I've been telling you that I think Kageyama is into you.” Tsukki rolled his eyes. “You're a great guy, Yamaguchi, and although I have absolutely no idea what you see in Kageyama, I honestly think that it could work out.”

Tadashi was about to protest when he noticed Tsukki's bus pull up to the stop.

“Think about it!” Tsukki said before getting on.

And Tadashi would. Extensively.

 

**III.**

 

Makoto had only lived with Tadashi for a little less than two months, but he was fairly certain that Tadashi's current behaviour was out of the ordinary. The boy spent a lot of time deep in thought, staring off into the distance and spacing out during dinner conversations. If Makoto knew anything about teenagers – and it hadn't even been an entire decade since he'd been one – that probably meant that Tadashi was either worried about something school related or he had a crush.

Makoto had been unable to keep his mind off of Yuusuke for very long when he'd first figured out that boys were way more interesting than girls. Chances were that Makoto's nephew was just as hormone driven as most boys his age, so Makoto decided not to interfere for now. If Tadashi wanted advice, he'd come to Makoto on his own. Otherwise, any conversation about love and crushes would probably turn too awkward too fast, especially with Makoto knowing nothing about what it was like to date girls.

 

***

 

Today was going to be the day.

Tadashi had been thinking this through for an entire week, ever since his conversation with Tsukki, and he'd come to the conclusion that Tsukki was probably right. Kageyama _did_ stare at Tadashi a lot, and he'd been initiating conversations more frequently, and he'd been absolutely ecstatic when Tadashi had brought him a carton of milk unprompted. Well, ecstatic was probably the wrong word. Kageyama hadn't cheered like he did when he pulled off a particularly good play during volleyball. But he'd definitely been very pleased and happy because he'd actually managed to smile at Tadashi without giving him the wrong kind of goosebumps. It had been a genuine smile.

Taking a deep breath, Tadashi walked up to Kageyama after practice. He could do this. He'd rehearsed this situation inside of his head a million times.

“Er, Kageyama?” Tadashi said, tapping his friend on the shoulder.

“Hm?” Kageyama turned around, blue eyes wide – damn they were a really nice blue, weren't they?

For a moment, Tadashi lost his train of thought until he noticed that Kageyama's facial expression shifted from surprise to concern.

“Something wrong?”

“No!” Tadashi yelped, flinching at the sudden high pitch of his own voice. “Er, I just wanted to ask if you... if you wanted to go to the cinema with me on Saturday. They're showing a documentary about the Japanese women's volleyball team, and I thought...”

“Oh, sounds interesting,” Kageyama said. “Are the others coming, too?”

“Er... no?” This was not what Tadashi had imagined happening. He couldn't do this after all. “I mean, I haven't asked them yet.”

Kageyama hummed in understanding. “Okay. I'm up for it. Text me the time, and I'll meet you guys there.”

“I... I will.”

 

***

 

Makoto could hear a key being turned in the lock, the characteristic clattering of shoes being taken off in the entryway, but then instead of the usual more or less tired announcement of “I am home!” there was stomping and the sound of a door being opened and closed with a resounding _thud_.

“Huh.” Makoto got up from where he'd been reading a book in his room to check what was going on. Carefully, he knocked on the door to his nephew's room.

“Tadashi?”

No reaction.

“Everything alright?”

“Leave me alone!”

“You sure? I was thinking we could go to that burger restaurant down the street for dinner today.” That was a lie. They still had leftovers from yesterday they needed to finish, but Makoto wasn't above using bribery to make his moody nephew leave his room.

There was a loud groan and then the sound of shuffling feet before Tadashi finally opened the door. He looked like he was going to start crying any moment now.

“Okay then,” Makoto said, ruffling Tadashi's hair. “Let's get ourselves some nice burgers and fries.”

 

***

 

After his failed attempt at asking Kageyama on a date, Tadashi had fled the gym. It had been stupid of him to even think that Kageyama would be interested in that. Of course, the guy had just been happy to have found a proper group of friends that would put up with his perfectionism.

“Everything alright with the club?” Makoto-ji-san asked as they waited for their orders.

“Yeah,” Tadashi replied lamely, not really in the mood to talk about anything at the moment. It wasn't like he could actually tell his uncle that he had a crush on Kageyama of all people.

“That doesn't sound particularly convincing.”

Tadashi groaned and let his head sink down to the table, resting his cheek on the plastic surface.

“I don't wanna talk about it,” he mumbled.

Makoto-ji-san hummed and ruffled Tadashi's hair. It was something he hadn't done in years, not since Tadashi had entered middle school. It felt nice, though, so he let him do it.

“I'm not going to force you to talk,” Makoto-ji-san said, “but I'm here whenever you need to vent. I'm not going to judge you, no matter what.”

Sighing, Tadashi lifted his head again.

“It's not like you'd get it anyway.”

“Try me.”

Tadashi huffed. How was he even supposed to formulate this in a way that wouldn't make his uncle suspicious of his sexuality? And even if he somehow managed to do that, it'd be absolutely embarrassing. Like an idiot, he'd misread platonic signs of affection to be romantic.

Suddenly, Tadashi felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

“Do you mind if I...”

“Go ahead.”

So Tadashi looked at his phone and read the text message he'd just received.

 

From: Tsukki

> Wtf

> Kageyama asked me and Yachi-san if we want to go to the cinema with you guys

> I thought you wanted to go on a date with Kageyama?

 

Tadashi pulled a grimace as he shoved his phone back in his pocket. He didn't want to have to explain to Tsukki that his intuition had been wrong, too. He didn't want to make his friend feel bad when this was all Tadashi's own fault for getting his hopes up.

 

***

 

After finishing his burger, Makoto shoved his portion of fries, which were getting kinda soggy as they grew cold, across the table to Tadashi.

“Thanks.” The boy had got an even more miserable expression on his face after reading whatever text he'd received earlier. It was honestly heartbreaking to watch.

“Okay,” Makoto said, determined to get his nephew to spill his guts. It was a gamble, really, one Makoto wasn't entirely sure he should be making right now, but he just couldn't take seeing Tadashi so down. “How about we make a deal? I tell you something that I've been worrying about for almost eight years, and in exchange, you tell me what's been eating at you. What do you say?”

A puzzled frown appeared on Tadashi's face.

“Why would you wanna tell me something like that?” he asked. “I'm just a stupid kid.”

“Well, you _are_ a kid. But you're not stupid,” Makoto said, smiling encouragingly. “C'mon. I'll feel better, and you'll feel better. It'll be mutually beneficial!”

Tadashi snorted and picked up a fry from Makoto's abandoned portion. He appeared to be deliberating carefully as he chewed on it, finally saying, “okay. But you go first.”

Taking a deep breath, Makoto had a look around the room to make sure nobody else was seated close enough to overhear their conversation.

“I've been dating my best friend since high school, and I have no idea how to tell our family that I'm gay.”

 

***

 

The memory of Takinoue-san standing half-naked in front of the stove flashed before Tadashi's eyes.

Oh. _Oh._ Well, that made a lot of sense all of a sudden. If Takinoue-san had been dating Makoto-ji-san for such a long time, he would've obviously had to become extremely comfortable around his boyfriend's flat.

Boyfriend. Tadashi's uncle had a boyfriend. He was gay.

“Wow.”

“Yeah, I know that's quite the bombshell to drop on you...” Makoto-ji-san sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “But you were bound to find out eventually. You'll be living with me for a while, and Yuusuke and I are bound to slip up at some point. Unless you don't feel comfortable living with me anymore...”

“No!” Tadashi shook his head vigorously. “That's not... Actually, I'm... Wow.” Tadashi couldn't believe this. It was like the universe had suddenly dropped down a role model right in front of him, someone he could actually ask for advice.

“So you're not uncomfortable?” Tadashi's uncle asked.

Tadashi had trouble finding words to adequately express what he was feeling right now. So he just shook his head again.

“It's okay. Very okay,” he said. “Thanks for telling me. I mean...” Tadashi trailed off and shrugged. “It's fine.”

“Good. Now it's your turn.”

 

***

 

Makoto was relieved that his worries about Tadashi were unfounded. Especially, after he heard about what had happened after practice.

“I don't really know Kageyama-kun all that well,” he said, carefully choosing his words, “but he doesn't seem to be the type to pick up on social cues all that well.”

“But if he liked me, he surely would jump at the opportunity to be alone with me!” The way Tadashi drew his brows together in a stubborn pout reminded Makoto of when he'd been a small child.

“As I said, Kageyama-kun seems a little... dense.” Makoto was trying to be diplomatic, not wanting to offend Tadashi by insulting his crush. “If you're not blunt with that type of person, he'll never get it. Trust me. I'm speaking from experience.” Not that Yuusuke had been as socially awkward as Kageyama when he was a teen, but he had had his moments.

Tadashi sighed and popped the last fry in his mouth.

“How did you manage to confess to Takinoue-san anyway? Or was he the one to do it?”

Makoto looked around the room again. He had absolutely no desire to out himself to anyone else in this town, especially since most people did their grocery shopping at _Shimada Mart_.

“Well,” he started after having made sure the coast was clear, “I was the one to confess. I'd been going through a pretty rough spot after your great-grandpa died, and Yuusuke had been there for me through it all. It was just a spur of the moment thing after practice. I said, 'I like you', and... I don't remember how he said it exactly, but he basically said that he liked me as his best friend. That stung quite a bit, so I ran out of the room and straight into Ukai. And because I was emotionally unstable at the time anyway, I basically bawled my eyes out in front of him.” Makoto chuckled at the memory. Ukai had been quite freaked out by that unexpected display of emotions. “When he asked me what was wrong, I told him, and he just grabbed my shoulders and went, 'You gotta go back in there and tell him again, because he's been whining to me about having a crush on you, and it's gotta stop.' So I went back in. Yuusuke was panicking. I was panicking. Ukai was rolling his eyes at both of us. And then I repeated myself, said that I liked Yuusuke and added that I liked him as more than just a friend.”

“So Coach Ukai knows about you and Takinoue-san?” Tadashi asked, eyes wide with surprise.

“Yeah. He never really minded.” Makoto shrugged. “But honestly, Tadashi. Tell Kageyama-kun properly. It's not going to get any easier with time. And if he reacts badly, he isn't worth it in the first place.”

“I don't think I can be that brave again,” Tadashi muttered, hanging his head.

“C'mon! That's not the Tadashi I know,” Makoto tried to cheer him up. “What did you do after you failed your serves during an official match? You were frustrated and sad, but you got back up again. You practised more. You tried again. And you succeeded.”

“Volleyball and _this_ are two very different things.”

“Doesn't mean that you can't apply what you've learnt from volleyball to real life.”

 

***

 

Tadashi felt extremely overdressed for the occasion, but his uncle had insisted that he looked good in this shirt. It was too late to change now anyway. He was already at the station where he had agreed to meet with Kageyama and the others. Only that the others wouldn't be coming. Somehow he'd actually found the guts to ask Yachi-san and Tsukki for help, and Hinata had family stuff to deal with anyway.

As Tadashi stood and waited, his eyes kept wandering over to the emergency exit sign on the wall opposite to him. It helped keep him grounded, just like it did during volleyball matches. His heart still started beating way too hard as soon as he spotted Kageyama walking up to him.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

For a moment, they just looked at each other until Kageyama suddenly lowered his gaze.

“Er, shame the others couldn't come,” he said, a distinct blush settling upon his cheeks.

This was Tadashi's chance.

“I... asked them not to,” he blurted out. “I mean... I... I meant for this to be a date. And it's cool if that's not your thing. If it's not, I can ask Tsukki and Yachi-san to come anyway, and we can forget about it. But if you'd like to...”

Kageyama lifted his head again slowly, eyes blown wide.

“You want to go... on a... date. With me?”

Tadashi nodded, stealing a glance at the exit sign.

“Oh.” Kageyama blinked, the blush spreading to the rest of his face. “Tha... Thanks? I mean, I... Yes? To the... to the date thing.”

Suddenly, Tadashi felt light-headed. This was going better than he had expected.

“Great!” The biggest grin was stretched across his face.

 

**IV.**

 

“Mmh... What time is it?” Yuusuke grumbled as Makoto got out of their bed.

“Time to wake up the boys so they won't be late for training camp,” Makoto said. “You can go back to sleep.”

Yuusuke grumbled, pulled the blanket back over his shoulders and immediately fell asleep again. Makoto smiled fondly at his boyfriend before picking up his glasses from the bedside table and quietly leaving the room.

First, Makoto went down the hallway to Tadashi's room, knocking on the door before pushing it open. The room was empty, Tadashi's bed as tidy as it had been the evening before. Frowning, Makoto made his way into the living room. And there Tadashi was, lying on the sofa with his hand dangling off the side so he could hold hands with his boyfriend who was sleeping on the guest futon.

“Goddamnit, Tadashi,” Makoto grumbled and kicked the back of the sofa. His nephew slowly opened his eyes.

“Wha's goin' on?” he asked sleepily.

“What are you doing out here?”

Tadashi blinked, clearly still confused for a moment, until suddenly it seemed to dawn on him.

“You said Kageyama could sleep over if he slept in the living room. You never said anything about me having to sleep in my bed. You and Takinoue-san get to share a room, so it's only fair...”

Makoto couldn't help himself and burst out laughing. He couldn't be mad at Tadashi, not when he would've probably done the exact same thing at his age.

“C'mon, wake up your boyfriend. I'm gonna make breakfast.”

“I'm on it!”

Makoto left Tadashi and Kageyama to their own devices and went into the kitchen. As he cracked open the fridge, he heard footsteps.

“How do you guys want your eggs?”

“Sunny side up,” said Yuusuke, wrapping his arms around Makoto from behind.

“I thought you were still sleeping?” Makoto asked.

“How am I supposed to sleep when you guys are being loud?”

Makoto chuckled and turned around to steal a kiss from Yuusuke’s lips.

As troublesome as the situation could be at times, Makoto didn't regret having Tadashi move in with him. He regretted that they'd moved to a bigger flat with Yuusuke even less.

 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Tumblr](http://gilrael.tumblr.com), [Pillowfort](https://pillowfort.social/Gilrael) and [myWriteClub](https://www.mywriteclub.com/beta/writers/Gilrael) if you want to keep up with my writing :)


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